Ready or Not
by donna79
Summary: Can two people rebuild what is left of their broken friendship?
1. Young Love

**Story Title: Ready or Not**

**Summary: Can two people who don't see eye to eye mend their broken friendship?**

**Pairing: Jacob/Bella eventually**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**AN: I know what you're thinking...'She barely updates anymore, why is she starting a new story only to make us wait even longer?' That answer is easy, my usually quiet Bella muse hit me over the head with this idea while I was in the grips of a very painful migraine and once I got some sleep and I felt better more of this chapter fell into place. Please let me know what y'all think.**

**AN2: I wanted to clear something up before I confuse all of you. There is no La Push High School so, Jacob, Embry, Quil, Jared and Seth and all of their respective others go to Forks. It's not something that I normally do, I know but I wanted to try it out for this story and see it goes.**

Bella Swan was in love. Not puppy love, or lust or even infatuation but full on love. The kind of love that the most naive of people think concurs all and can't be shaken. Her boyfriend of a year had broken the news gently that he had been accepted into an honors program at a academy in Tacoma and he felt that it would be beneficial for him to go if he wanted to be accepted in Harvard for their premed program. They still had three months together when he had told her but the summer had flown by and the new school year would begin in less than two weeks for her and in a couple of days for Edward.

Edward's house was full of people but he and Bella had found a place of solitude on the balcony that was off of his room. He leaned against the sliding door and she sat between his legs, resting against him. The air was hot and muggy and and the quiet was too much for Bella, making her feel uneasy.

"Stop," Edward cautioned.

"Stop what?"

"You're fidgeting," he said with a light laugh.

"Sorry, you're so quiet that it's making me nervous."

"You worry too much," he said against her hair.

"You'll call and write, right?" she asked, turning her torso to look at him, worrying her bottom lip.

"Until I meet someone else. She'll be prettier than you of course, super model pretty. And she'll also be want to be a brain surgeon when she's older. And did I mention that she'll be fluent in three languages? She'll be perfect in every way."

"So she'll be Mary Poppins?" she asked, her mouth quirking up on one side.

"I will call you and email you everyday. I'll text so much that you'll grow tired of me. I'll come home when I can. You won't miss me, I swear," he promised.

"I will have Alice and Angela," she reasoned.

"You'll be so busy that you won't have time to miss me."

"We should go back inside before Emmett comes looking for us. We don't want what happened last time to happen again."

"I still haven't let that go," he said with a sigh.

"Too late," Edward's older brother, Emmett said from inside Edward's room.

"At least we weren't in a compromising position this time," Bella said as she stood.

"Thank God," Emmett said with a roll of his eyes.

Edward took hold of Bella's hand to lead her through the house to the living room where his oldest brother, sister and sister-in-law were waiting for them. Carlisle, gave them each a look that only he could give them, one that said 'you should know better'. Edward's sister and sister-in-law weren't asking for much. Alice and Esme just wanted to spend Edward's last night in Forks as a family.

A few hours later Edward and Bella were sitting in his car out front of her house. She still had another fifteen minutes before Charlie would send one of the officers that he worked with to pass by the house to make sure that she was home and that Edward wasn't there. It wasn't like they had gotten around that before but tonight Edward wouldn't be able to stay. He still had some last minute packing to do that he had put off so that Bella could come over. He and Carlisle would be leaving early the next morning to be in Tacoma in time for orientation.

Bella was facing him, watching him as he stared out the windshield. He had gone silent again. She reached to put a hand on his arm and he turned his head to look at her. He smiled, not a genuine smile, the kind that reached his eyes and made her give him whatever he wanted but a smile to reassure her that everything would be fine.

"I love you," she said with a sigh.

"I love you too," he said before leaning in.

His hands cupped her face and her fingers were threaded into his hair as she gave in to the kiss. What started out as a sweet gentle kiss turned into a grope fest with his hands under her shirt and his fingernails scraping over her breasts through her bra. She saw the car lights approaching the house before he did and pulled away. It was a car she would recognize anywhere. One of the deputies slowed down and nodded as Bella pulled away from Edward and exited the car. She leaned down and he rolled the passenger window down so that she could say one last thing.

"Call me when you get settled in?"

"Sure," he said with a genuine smile.

She waved at the deputy before walking up the stairs Edward said something that Bella couldn't hear to the deputy and the deputy nodded before pulling away from the house. Inside, Bella called her dad to let her know that Deputy Lyle was on his way back and that she was going to bed. She set the coffee machine timer because she had to be at work early and Charlie would want coffee when he finally got up for the day before going to bed. She would have to face the fact that Edward was making strides towards the future without her.

XXXX

Two weeks later Bella started her senior year of high school. She had talked to Edward every single day since he left. He had made good on his promise to carve out time every night so that the time of them could talk for at least half an hour. She didn't feel as alone as she thought she would. Alice was waiting for her by the front doors with her boyfriend Jasper. She let herself be pushed along by the throng of people also making their way through the parking lot. Alice noticed her and she waved, smiling brightly.

"Do you have to be so chipper at seven thirty in the morning?"

"Did someone stay up late last night talking to their boyfriend?" Jasper teased.

"So what if I did?" she said in mock defense.

"I'm glad that you got to talk to him. It's the only way I have of keeping up with how he's doing. I've talked to him maybe three times since he left."

"He's got a lot going on. He has three papers due by next week and he's working and he has that club that he joined," Bella explained.

"What club?" Alice asked.

"It's for future scientist and doctors..."

"Stop, I don't need to hear anymore. It sounds boring," Alice said cutting Bella off.

Alice may be Edward's twin by they were nothing alike. Alice was a sociable fashionista who made friends easily while Edward was more comfortable in small crowds and preferred studying over going shopping. The three of them made their way through the halls coming to grips with the fact that not only would Edward not be joining them but Emmett had graduated the previous year and was now settling in at college. Alice was taking being the only Cullen at Forks High better than Bella would have. She had always wanted siblings and when she had met Edwards family she had found the comradery that she had been missing.

Bella left them at Jasper's locker to go find her first class. It was in the new wing that had opened up that year and she wanted to find her class as quickly as possible. She was looking down at the map that had come with her schedule when she collided with someone. Her book bag slid off her shoulder and fell to the floor with a soft thud.

"Watch it!" The person warned before walking around her.

"Sorry," she apologized quickly.

Bella looked over her shoulder as she leaned down to pick up her bag. The voice had belonged to Jared Miller, someone who was almost as short as she was, it was no wonder she hadn't seen him. Jared wasn't a bad guy, he just tended to let his mouth get the best of him because he said whatever was on his mind. He continued down the hall with three of his friends, all three of them toward over him even though he was almost two years older than they were. Quil Ateara, Embry Call and Jacob Black all lived in La Push with Jared and had been going to school in Forks for the past five years since the only school in La Push had burned down and there hadn't been enough money to build a new one.

Bella continued to watch them and before they turned a corner she thought she saw Jacob cast one last look at her. She and Jacob had been friends when they were younger but once she entered middle school their friendship had fizzled out. Her dad, Charlie and his dad, Billy had been best friends since before Bella had been born and it had taken them both a long time to come to terms that Bella and Jacob were no longer speaking. She couldn't even remember what had happened to put a rift between them.

Bella's phone buzzed in her pocket as she found her classroom a few minutes later. She was the first one there and while there was a rule against phones being used during class most teachers tended to look the other way if the students used them before class. She pulled her phone out of her pocket before sitting down once she had found her seat. She would be sitting behind Jessica Stanley, again. She was really cursing her luck that their names fell together in the alphabetical order of things. She and Jessica had been friends before Mike Newton had made his feelings for Bella known and even though she had thwarted his advances Jessica seemed to think that she held a huge flaming torch for him. She slid her finger over her phone to wake it up then went through her texts to find one from her dad.

_You were supposed to wake me up so I could give you your birthday present. We'll do something this weekend. Happy Birthday, kiddo._

She smiled as she exited out of the message and saw one from her mom that she had missed while she was in the shower. It was short, direct and to the point explaining that her birthday present would be arriving that day or the next. She hadn't wanted anyone to make a big deal out of her birthday and she was thankful that Alice had listened when told her that she didn't want to do anything or to make a big scene.

The two minute warning bell rang and and the classroom was soon full. Bella put her phone in her bag and smiled at Jessica as she passed back the class syllabus. Jessica smiled back feebly, mouthing 'happy birthday' before turning to face the front of the room again. Maybe there was hope that they could still be friends after all.

XXXX

Charlie was at work when she got home from school but he would only be working a short shift so that they could spend the night of her birthday together. She was trying to figure out what to make for dinner when the phone rang. She reached around the open cabinet door to grab the phone from off the wall.

"Hello?"

"Hey there legal beagle," Billy drawled.

"Hey," she said with a short laugh.

"Happy birthday from me and Jake, sweetheart."

"You don't have to include him every year. We haven't said two words to each other with out you and Charlie forcing us together in years."

"I know, but why break tradition?"

"Are you still coming over tomorrow?"

"I don't know, won't your dad be uncomfortable being the third wheel?"

"He'll just have to get over it," she said with a scoff.

"I'll be there and don't worry about cooking, I'm bringing fish fry."

"You are my knight and shining armor; whatever would I do without you?" she said in a dramatic voice.

"I love ya, kiddo."

"Love you too. See you tomorrow."

She hung up just in time to hear her dad shut the door to his cruiser. She called a greeting over her shoulder as he stood in the foyer taking off his holster and toeing off his boots. He stored his gun in the gun case in the living room before coming into the kitchen.

"Have you taken anything out yet?"

"I can't decide what to cook."

"You want to go to the diner?"

"Sure."

"Happy Birthday Bells," Charlie said coming to stand in front of her.

He pulled her to him and held her tightly. They hadn't always had the best of relationships because he'd had no clue how to raise a preteen or young adult and some of the decisions he made for her baffled her. She hadn't been allowed to do a lot of things that kids her age had been able to do because he was a cop and he worried obsessively about her until she had been able to prove that she could take care of herself. She hadn't been allowed to date until she was sixteen and she and Edward had toed the fine line between friendship and dating for months before he finally found the courage to ask her out.

He had eased up on the rules in the past year and they had found a happy medium in the battle versus parent and child. Renee had tried to raise Bella until she realized that she was failing horribly at it and that Bella was in danger of becoming the parent. Bella had been living with Charlie and spending every summer except this last one with Renee since she was six.

Bella was like Charlie in some ways. They were both rational and fairly easy going, they had trouble holding their emotions in check when something was bother them. Billy said he could tell instantly when something was bothering them. She was surprised that she had held herself together as well as she had after Edward left. Yes, she missed him but she knew that she couldn't hold him back from what he wanted.

XXXX

Jacob searched through his missed calls to find that his dad had left him a voice mail asking him to come home as soon as football practice was over. He already knew what he was going to say. Mr. Baum had more than likely called his dad about the homework that he had missed earlier in the week and the test that he had tanked that morning. It was only a few weeks into the school year and already he was falling behind. He had promised his dad that he wouldn't let playing sports affect his grades or schoolwork like it had last year. He just hoped that Billy didn't make him quit the team.

Jared dropped Jacob off first and he told Quil that it wasn't a good idea for him to come in like he had planned on. Billy was in the living room when Jacob walked through the front door. He tossed his practice and book bags in his room before coming to sit on the couch.

"When we were you planning on telling me that you were falling behind in English?" Billy asked calmly.

"Tonight," Jacob mumbled.

"Jake, we had this talk before football try outs and you promised me that this wouldn't happen. Your teacher says that you don't participate in class and that when you're called on you pretend that you don't hear him until he moves on to someone else. What is so hard about tenth grade english that you are having trouble only three weeks into the year?"

"It's hard for me to follow along with the class. I don't understand a single word of what we're reading."

"What are you reading?"

"Julius Caesar."

"Shakespeare is pretty hard to keep up with. I never understood him either."

"It takes me twice as long to understand what he's trying to say than anyone else."

"I know exactly what I can do to help you," Billy said, slapping his knee.

"You aren't making me quit the team?"

"No, Son. I've got a call to make, you're coming to Charlie's with me."

"Dad, no," Jacob pleaded.

"Yes, Jake. Not only has Bella already read the play she's a Shakespeare expert."

"Can't I ask if there's any extra credit that I can do to make up for being behind?"

"Mr. Baum is giving you a make up test on Friday. Make sure you bring everything you need tomorrow night," Billy said, letting him know that the conversation was over.

Jacob knew that it would be impossible to change his dad's mind. He felt stupid as it was and now his dad was going to force him into spending time with Bella. They had been best friends until she entered middle school and she decided that she wanted friends her age. He had been so hurt by her decision and by the time his mom had died two years later Charlie had stepped up to help them regroup Bella had written him off.

All of the La Push kids were considered outsiders to Bella's group of friends. He was the only sophomore on the varsity football team. The coach had wanted to put him on varsity last year but Billy had been against it since he was so much smaller than the other players at the time. A year later Jacob was nearly a foot taller and more filled out than he had been at the start of last season. A couple of Bella's friends were on the football time but neither of them would give him the time of day since he had been named co-captain over them.

He hated that he needed help and his pride and ego were bruised, but he would go along with what his dad wanted because he wanted to prove to his dad that he could juggle school and football.

They left an hour later, swinging by Harry's to pick up the fish and Seth. Jacob liked Seth, he was a good kid, even if he was a little too chatty for his liking sometimes. Bella liked Seth too, so that was an added bonus. Jacob would make sure that Seth was with them at all times, he was going to need a buffer to get through this night.

Bella's truck wasn't in the driveway when they pulled up so maybe Billy hadn't been able to ask her after all. He could hope, right? Inside, Charlie and Billy talked in the living room while Seth and Jacob worked on their homework at the kitchen table. Bella came in a little while later and Charlie called her into the living room before she could even toe off her shoes.

Jacob tried to listen in but his dad was talking so softly that he couldn't make out what he was saying.

"I don't know, I have a lot going on. I've got college applications to fill out and homework of my own, I'm working part time at Newton's. I barely have time for myself."

"Can't you drop your Saturday shift for a while and help him out?" Charlie questioned.

"I'll pay you to tutor him to make up the difference," Billy promised.

"I can't take your money," she said with a sigh.

"You'll do it?" Billy asked hopefully.

"I'll work around my work schedule," she conceded.

"You're an angel, Kiddo," Billy said with a grateful sigh.

"He'd better take this seriously," she said with a sigh of her own.

Bella stood from the couch and went upstairs to change before going into the kitchen to heat up dinner. She felt Jacob's eyes on her as she pulled the fish and fries from the oven ten minutes later. He had been silent since she got home, this was how things usually went with them and it was going to take time for them to work through it. She had to give him points for bringing Seth along, the kid had a way of breaking the ice like no one she had ever met.

After dinner the kitchen was filled with silence as the three teenagers worked on their homework. Fifteen minutes later Bella was finished and Seth was nowhere near done. His hands were fisted in his hair and he was hunched over his science text book with a pencil firmly between his teeth.

"Need some help Seth?" Bella broached gently.

"Aren't you supposed to be helping Jake?"

"I don't think that he's ready yet. Let me see," she said holding a hand out for his book.

He handed it over and she read the first paragraph to get caught up on what he was working on.

"This is really easy. Photosynthesis is the process of plants absorbing sunlight and they turn that energy into food."

"You made that sound a lot easier than my teacher did," Seth said with a scoff.

"Do you have Miss Gulch?"

"Yes," he said in disdain.

"Do people still call her the Wicked Witch of the West?"

"Oh yeah."

"Let me know if you have anymore trouble," she said handing the book back to him.

Bella went into the living room to grab Charlie and Billy's dirty dishes and started cleaning the kitchen while she waited for Jacob to finish. She had no clue why she agreed to help him. It wasn't like he had made any attempt to mend their friendship but neither had she. People grow apart all the time and she couldn't understand why their dad's had all of the sudden started up their campaign to force the two of them back together once again. She thought that she'd put a stop to it years ago.

She was perfectly happy only having to see Jacob at school and when he came to the house they didn't so much as make eye contact. This situation was so weird and awkward on so many levels it wasn't even funny. All she wanted to do was go up to her room and call Edward so that she could rant about how relentless Charlie was being.

A chair scraped across the linoleum as she was letting the water out of the sink. She placed a towel over the dishes and decided to put them away later. She turned around to see Jacob loading his books into bag.

"Can I have a few minutes before we start?" he asked, finally acknowledging her.

"Yeah," she said, nodding quickly.

Jacob left his English text book and notebook on the table and she picked up his notebook to check to see how far along he was. His handwriting hadn't improved from when they were kids. She could barely read his quick, sloppy handwriting. He came back into the room and folded himself into Charlie's seat with a sigh. Seth worked quietly in between them as Bella continued to look Jacob's notes.

"You're done reading the play?" she asked, not looking up from what she was reading.

"The rest of the class is. I just started the last act," Jacob mumbled.

"How did you manage to fall so behind?"

"Because I don't speak Shakespeare," he answered roughly.

"It's Elizabethan. Yes, it's a dead language but it's not that hard to understand...For most people," she explained.

"Look-" Jacob started.

"Okay, I'm going to finish my homework upstairs. I don't want to get caught up in the action when you two start throwing punches," Seth said, packing his stuff up quickly.

"This was a bad idea," Bella said with a sigh.

"Yeah, no shit," Jacob said gruffly.

"Do I need to hog tie the two of you together?" Charlie asked from the archway of the living room.

"She started it," Jacob said in defense.

"That doesn't mean that you have to keep it going. Bells, can't you look past your differences and help him? Please?" Billy called from the living room.

Bella sighed, dragging her fingers through her hair. How were she supposed to help him when they couldn't go thirty seconds without trading barbs? She could think of so many better ways to spend her night than helping someone who wasn't appreciative of her help.

"The moral of the play is that you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer because even the people who you thought that you could trust can betray you. Power can make people do things that they would never consider doing, it can drive a wedge between even the closest of friends. Love can tear two people a part just as easily as it can bring them together."

"Sounds familiar, except for the love part," he said, folding his arms over his chest.

"You are such an asshole. You know what? Find someone else to help you," she said standing up from the table quickly.

She stomped up the stairs and would have slammed her door if Seth weren't at her desk.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked quietly.

"No," she said, throwing herself onto the bed with a grunt.

"Things didn't go well downstairs?" he broached.

"No," she said curtly.

Charlie came up to tell Seth that Billy was ready to leave a little while later and stayed at Bella's door until the front door closed. He came to stand beside Bella's bed and she turned on her side away from him.

"That's really mature," he said sitting on the edge of the bed.

"What made you think that asking me tutor him would be a good idea?"

"You could have tried harder to be nice to him," he chastised.

"I was!" she said in frustration.

"After I threatened you," he reminded her.

"He didn't have to say what he said. And I am not apologizing for walking out on him."

"Do you remember why you two stopped being friends?"

"I started middle school and I didn't have any time for him."

"That's only part of it. You gave that poor kid the freeze for months before he finally stopped trying to get through to you. You flat out ignored him, you told him that he was too immature for you to be friends with. Do you know that when his mom died all he wanted was for you to talk to him? Kids are cruel sometimes, I get that but you were just plain vicious."

After Charlie's rant all of her repressed memories from that time in her life came flooding back. It wasn't a time in her life that she liked to think about because Renee was fighting Charlie for custody of her and it was putting a lot of added stress on her and she had come to the realization that middle school was nothing like she had thought it would be. Most of her friends were going to the new middle school on the other side of town and she spent most weekends with them. Jacob had been the closest thing she had to a sibling and they had been best friends pretty much since he had been born. She felt awful. Somehow she had to make it up to him.

XXXX

Bella had found out from one of her sophomore friends that Jacob was in their last class of the day so she made an excuse to get out early from the last class and hauled ass across the school before the bell rang. She leaned against the lockers across from his class and tried to calm her nerves and get her breathing back to normal. The bell rang and the door opened, Jacob was one of the first out of the room and his eyes narrowed when he saw Bella.

"I want to apologize," she explained.

"Why? It's not like you've cared before," he said in indifference with a lazy shrug.

"What I did was wrong and I never should let my other friends come before you."

"What do you care? I'm a Asshole," he said, before turning to walk away from her.

She hadn't realized that they had an audience. Embry and Quil stood a few feet away Quil stared after Jacob while Embry gave Bella a cursory once over. She pulled her book bag from her shoulder and unzipped it to reach inside. She pulled out a tupperware container and walked up to Quil.

"Can you give this to Jake?"

"What is it?" Quil asked opening the lid.

"White chocolate macadamia cookies are still his favorite, aren't they?"

"I'll take that," Embry said, snatching the container from Quil and sealing the lid.

Bella turned her eyes to Embry who was putting the container in his bag.

"You should never give him food that is meant for someone else," he explained.

"Do either of you know if Jake found someone to help him with?"

"Yeah," Embry confirmed with a nod and his lips in a firm line.

She nodded, deciding that it would be best to let it go. She slung her bag back onto her shoulder before walking away. The ball was in Jacob's court now; she just hoped that he forgave her.


	2. Apologies and Reservavtions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

It had been a week since Bella had tried to apologize to Jacob. He had sent the container with Billy on Sunday and Billy had told her that Jacob had scarfed the cookies down in less than ten minutes but hadn't said anything. She had waited patiently for him to make the next move so that she could apologize properly but he was still giving her the silent treatment.

Charlie and Billy had left the night before to go on a four day fishing trip with Harry and Quil's granddad so she knew that if she went to see Jacob that he would have to listen to her; if he was home that is. With her mind made up Bella got in her truck and set out for La Push. A light but steady rain started to fall as Bella turned onto the reservation making her turn on her low beams so that she could see better.

She saw Embry's car in the Black's front yard when she pulled up and she could hear music coming from the makeshift garage behind the house. She dodged puddles and was able to make it to the garage without slipping in mud. Embry was the one to notice her first as she stood at the door. He said something quietly to Jacob before turning to leave.

"See you later, Bella," Embry said politely as he passed her.

"Bye," she said over her shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" Jacob questioned, his back still to her, his shoulders tense.

"I came over so that I could apologize. What did you think the cookies were for?"

"I didn't realize that I supposed to say thank you," he said gripping the edge of the car that he was working on.

"No, but I would like a chance to explain," she explained with trepidation; she hadn't expected him to be so hostile.

He turned to face her finally, his arms folded over his chest, his face showing no emotion.

"Go on," he said after a few seconds of silence.

"You know that my dad had a lot of trouble with my mom over their custody agreement when we were younger, right?"

"Yeah," he said, shrugging his shoulders indifferently.

"What you didn't know was that she was pressuring him to give her full custody of me. A social worker came to the house and everything. We didn't tell you because we thought that you were too young to understand at the time. Thankfully my dad won the custody battle but it was still a really hard time for us," she said with a deep sigh.

"You were almost sent to live with your mom?"

"I was. I wasn't in the right mind set at the time and I let my friends from school be first priority because I saw them everyday and I could vent to Angela and Jessica when I couldn't tell you what was going on. I'm not proud of what I did and I am sorry," she said sincerely.

"What about when my mom died?" he asked quietly.

"I didn't think that you would want me there. We hadn't said more than two words to each other whenever we saw each other in over three years."

He was silent as he let what she had said sink in. She may have started the rift that tore them apart but he could have been the bigger person and tried to express how much she had hurt him. He couldn't believe that Renee would try to rip Bella away from the only home that she had ever known and take her away from the people who cared about her.

Renee would come to see her for three weeks in the summer and Bella usually spent Thanksgiving and Spring Break with her. From what his parents had told him over the years and from what he could remember of Renee she wasn't much of a mother.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked, biting her bottom lip nervously.

"You still do that?" he asked, gesturing to her mouth.

"Nervous habit," she said, dragging a hand through her hair.

"I wish that you had told me sooner but I can understand. Things aren't going to magically go back to the way they were," he said with a sigh.

"I know," she said with a nod.

"But, if I see you in the hall at school, I promise that I won't ignore you. And I'll make more of an effort to be nice when I come over," he promised.

"You'll come to my house?" she asked hopefully.

"I don't really have a reason to avoid you anymore, now do I?" he asked with a easy smile.

"I guess not. I should go, Embry is probably around front, waiting for me to leave."

"You might be right. I never heard his car start up," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I see that I'm not the only one who hasn't kicked my nervous habit," she teased before walking away.

Sure enough, Embry was standing under the awning on the porch when Bella rounded the corner of the house. She waved, holding back the urge to roll her eyes in amusement. She hadn't spent a lot of time with Quil or Embry growing up but she knew enough to know that Embry was loyal to Jacob to a fault and that it wouldn't be easy to win him over.

Bella was almost to the La Push/Forks boundary line when she saw Seth with his sister, Leah and a guy she didn't know. It was raining harder and the three of them weren't dressed to be out in this weather. She leaned over to roll down the passenger window as the truck rolled to a stop.

"Get in," she called over the sound of rain pelting the roof.

"Are you sure?" Leah questioned.

"I'll give you a ride back."

"Thanks," Seth said, hoping in the back with the guy.

She turned the truck around with more than a little effort and made the slow decent back down the steep incline leading to La Push.

"Who's the guy?" Bella asked a couple of blocks from the Clearwater's.

"That's right, you've never met Sam," Leah realized.

Leah had mentioned him a lot in the past three years but Bella and Sam had ever been introduced. Bella rarely came out to La Push because she didn't want to encroach on Jacob's territory, now that they were working things out maybe she could come out more often. Leah invited Bella in and three drenched Quileutes went to change while Bella waited in the living room.

Sue came in while the three were still in the back of the house. She was surprised but happy to see Bella and invited her to stay for dinner.

"It's not very often that we have dinner together when it's not at your house."

"What can I do to help?"

"I'm going to tell you the same thing you always tell me: you are our guest, that means that you can sit back and relax. Seth!" she called.

"Yeah, Ma?" he called from the hall.

"Come and help me with dinner."

"Why can't Leah do it?" he whined.

"Because Sam is here," Sue explained.

Bella went back into the living room hearing Seth grumble about how Sam is considered part of the family since he is always there. Sam came into the living room first and sat in Harry's recliner, smiling politely. Bella smiled back, taking him in. He wasn't as tall as Jacob but he was more filled out. Leah described him as the 'strong, silent type' and Bella could see that Leah was right. He didn't look intimidating but she could tell that he didn't do well with people that he didn't know. Leah came into the room and plopped down next to Bella.

"You don't have to sit all the way over there. She's not going to hurt you," Leah said with a laugh.

"There isn't a paint ball gun hidden under the couch?" he questioned.

"Oh my God, you told him about that?" Bella asked, embarrassed.

"Of course I did," Leah said with a scoff.

Bella shook her head, heat creeping up her neck and her face. Shooting Seth in the junk with the paint ball gun had been an accident; she thought that the safety was on but it had somehow been switched back to the cocked position. Seth hadn't gone near Bella for weeks after it happened.

"I thought that we were never going to speak of that again," Seth said sullenly.

"He probably didn't know that. Give the guy some credit," Bella defended.

Sam moved to sit on the floor on Leah's other side. Leah put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.

"It was an accident and she felt terrible after it happened. Bella, this is Sam. Sam, this is the only girl other than my mom who totally gets me."

"Clearly, there's something the matter with me," Bella joked.

"Oh, totally," Leah agreed.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Bella said politely.

"It's nice to meet the future Mrs. Seth Clearwater," he teased.

"Oh no, he still talks about that?"

"Not recently, it was Harry who brought it up."

"It would be nice though. What were you doing out here anyway?"

"I, um," she stumbled.

"Too embarrassed? Must have been a guy," Leah teased.

"IwenttoseeJake," she rambled.

"Jake?!" Leah said in surprise, her mouth slack.

"Honey, that's wonderful. I always hoped that the two of you would patch things up," Sue said from the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Sam asked, confused.

"There's a wrench in Seth's plan to marry Bells. We need a little girl time," Leah said before pulling Bella of the couch and back to her room.

Leah shut the door with a soft thump, giving her oldest friend a mock glare. Bella looked down at her hands, waiting for the onslaught of questions to come.

"How long has this been going on?"

"There's nothing going on. I went over to his house to explain things and apologize."

"And what did he say?"

"Not much, I don't know where I stand with him," Bella admitted, her hands rung together.

"I'm not going to lie to you, he wasn't in a good place after Sarah died. My mom would stay over to help the girls take care of of Billy for the first month or so. She said that Jake would wake up crying for you and his mom. I only found out because I stayed over one weekend because Seth was sick and mom had to take care of him."

"I had no idea," Bella said, swiping her eyes with a watery sigh.

"I wanted to tell you but my mom said that she was handling it and that you shouldn't be dragged into it."

"I want my best friend back," Bella said quietly with a sniffle.

"I know. You did the right thing by telling him the truth," Leah said, sitting next to Bella on the bed, pulling her into her arms.

Leah had played the neutral card about the whole Jacob/Bella situation like the rest of her family. She had been friends with Bella for over fifteen years and she had never been that close to Jacob, unlike Seth because of their age difference. This was a time that they would need help to repair their friendship and Leah and Seth were just the two people to do it.

XXXX

Bella missed school on Monday because Edward had been home that weekend and Charlie had been kind enough to allow her to miss school for Senior Ditch Day. Edward had issues with leaving and Bella didn't know what to say or do that she hadn't already tried.

They'd had a long talk Sunday about how his going away to school was a great opportunity for him and that he would have his choice of colleges to choose from.

"You'll apply to the same ones, won't you?"

"Within reason and if my dad can't afford it then I'll find one that he can close by," she promised.

She had never seen him like this. Where was the charming, charismatic guy who had left her less than two months ago? She had tried to keep his spirits up while he was away, even going so far as trying to initiate phone sex a couple of times but he had put a stop to it.

She lay on her bed with his head on her stomach, trying to get as much as she could out of their last hour together until Christmas. Her fingers sifted through his hair which he had chosen to grow out, at least it wasn't as long as it had been when they had first gotten together.

"You don't think that I'm acting crazy?" he asked, his voice a low rumble.

"No, I would think you were crazy if you were acting like everything is fine."

"I love you," he said, closing his eyes as she continued to play with his hair.

"I love you too."

"Alice mentioned that you were trying to mend your friendship with Jacob."

"My dad finally got me to listen to reason. I didn't want to leave for college with him still mad at me."

"Maybe I can finally meet him at Christmas."

"I'd like that," she said with a smile.

"I should go. Carlisle wants to be back early tonight."

He stood up, pulling her with him. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she smiled sadly up at him. He leaned down to press his lips to hers in a sweet, gentle kiss that was over before Bella was ready.

"I'll call you when I get in," he promised.

She brushed her lips to his one last time before letting go of him. He grabbed his jacket from her rocking chair and they walked down the stairs hand in hand. Carlisle was already outside so Edward hugged her tightly before walking down the stairs. Bella leaned against the doorjamb watching the person who mattered most to her drive away and she stayed there until Carlisle's car was out of sight. She shut the door, leaning against it as she got her emotions in check. Saying goodbye to Edward this time had been twice as hard as when he had left at the end of the summer.

XXXX

The week passed quickly and somehow Jessica had managed to talk Bella into going to the football game with her that Friday. Friday was the night that she stayed up late Skypeing with Edward, it was just as well because he had bowed out anyways claiming that he had a study group that wouldn't end until late. So Bella hadn't been able to find an excuse not to go to the game.

Jessica picked her up since she refused to ride in Bella's truck and they planned to grab dinner after the game. Angela stood behind the players bench with her camera hiding her face as she took picture after picture. Jessica found them seats halfway up and gave Bella the inside seat so that she wouldn't have to make a drink run before Ben and Eric showed up.

The game was starting when the guys finally showed up fifteen minutes later.

"Sorry, the line to get in is like a mile long. I got y'all something to drink to make up for it," Eric explained handing Jessica her coke and Bella her water.

"You haven't missed much. They haven't even kicked off yet," Jessica said, moving to the side so that Eric could sit in between her and Bella.

"Thanks," Bella said in gratitude as she opened her water.

She had been smart enough to braid her hair before she left the house because the wind was whipping the hair of every girl around her.

"Bella, will you braid my hair?" Jessica asked her.

"Sure."

Jessica sat in front of her and she made quick work of her hair. She smiled her thanks before moving back to their row. Bella had been surprised to see Eric and Ben getting along so well. Angela had had feelings for Eric before Ben and finally won her over. Granted, it hadn't taken much but Ben had been the one to finally win her heart since Eric hadn't seen Angela as anything other than a friend.

The game was tied at halftime when Angela made her way up to them. The girls talked while Eric went to find Mike and Tyler and talk to them about the game. Ben went to get them all something to drink, and the girls didn't realize that they were being watched from the field.

"What's up with you and Bella?" Quil asked taking his helmet off and shaking his hair to rid it of sweat.

"Nothing," Jacob said quickly.

"You're nicer to her now," Quil observed.

"I understand the situation better now," Jacob corrected.

"Are y'all friends?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want to be friends with her?"

"I guess," he said with a shrug.

"You need to talk to her to be able to do that."

"I talk to her!" Jacob said in defense.

"Saying 'hi, how are you' is not considered a real conversation," Quil said, giving him an even look.

Jacob rolled his eyes with a scoff as the coach called them back on the field. Mike Newton shoulder checked him as he passed but he was able to recover before anyone noticed. He heaved a sigh as he put his mouth guard in and adjusted his helmet before jogging to the bench.

He pushed Bella to the back of his mind. He would deal with Quil later, right now he had a game to win. The crowd cheered as the second half started.

In the stands Bella searched the line of players trying to find Jacob. She knew that he wore the number three because it was Russell Wilson's number but she couldn't see him. Finally she saw him at the end of the line furthest from her. Why did she even care? It wasn't they were that close; not yet anyway.

Jacob started down the field, looking over his shoulder every couple of seconds to make sure that he would be able to line up with the ball. He caught it, nearly stumbling at the ten yard line before being tackled from the right side. Once he was able to get up he felt Tyler Crawley put a hand on his shoulder and heard a muffled 'good catch' before getting back in formation

The ball was tossed to him by Mike and he spun around two opposing players before stepping into the end zone to make the score 27-21. The kicker kept the ball between the posts to give them an extra point and the crowd went wild.

Forks scored another touchdown made by Tyler but failed to win the extra point before the end of the game to bring the score to 34-21. Jacob and Quil met up with Embry and Quil's girlfriend, Claire before heading to the diner. By the time they got there there wasn't much room other than a booth in the back across from where Mike and Tyler sat with their friends, one of which included Bella.

"Nice touchdown tonight, Man," Tyler congratulated him.

"You too."

Jacob's eyes caught Bella's for a fraction of a second and she smiled in recognition. He nodded politely and Seth leaned over him to greet her. She shook her head, still smiling as she greeted him back.

Laughter and loud talking could be heard from Quil and Jacob's table as Mike and Tyler discussed crashing a party on First Beach.

"Do you wanna go? It could be fun," Jessica inquired.

"I have to be home in fifteen minutes. You should go, I'll call my dad and ask him to pick me up."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, go. Have fun," Bella said as she moved to let Jessica out of the booth.

Bella pulled out her phone only to realize that it was dead. She sighed in frustration as she looked over to the group next to her.

"Hey, Seth, can I borrow your phone? Mine's dead," she explained.

"Sure," he said passing it to Jacob who passed it to Bella.

"Your friends bailed on you?" Embry questioned.

"They wanted to go to a party on First Beach and I have to be home soon. I told my dad I'd be home before he left for work," she said dialing Charlie's number.

"Hold on. Jake or I can give you a ride," Quil offered.

"I don't think it's a good idea to offer someone up to do something without asking them first," Bella said sitting the phone down.

"He can give Embry and Seth a ride home then, even if it on the other side of the res."

"You don't mind?"

"I can give you a ride," Jacob spoke up.

"Man, I'll do it," Quil interjected.

"Aren't you lucky? You've got two boys fightin' over you," Cora teased as she placed Quil and Jacob's check on their table.

"I think Quil's girlfriend might have a problem with that."

"Then I suggest you take Jacob up on his offer."

"Time's a wastin'," Quil reminded her.

"Are you sure that you don't mind?" she asked Jacob.

"No. I need to talk to you about something anyway."

Bella gathered her stuff while Jacob paid his part of the bill. She followed him silently out to his car which he had recently finished.

"I didn't realize that you had your license yet."

"I got it last month," he said with a nod opening her door for her.

That was something that she had seen Billy do not only for Sarah but every woman he knew and he had taught Jacob to do the same thing. It was endearing even if had thrown her off for a second. He was quiet until they got to her house. Jacob parked behind Charlie's truck then turned to face her. She could see Charlie looking through the curtains of the front window and she waved him off.

"I was wondering if you could tutor me again," Jacob broached.

"You still need help in English?"

"Mr. Baum says my grammar is making him go prematurely gray and I am also need help in science," he said sheepishly.

"Well, I guess I can help. Why don't you come over Sunday? I tutor Seth in science on Sunday and Wednesday afternoons. Can you come by around two?"

"Sundays are fine but Wednesday are practice days. Can I come over after?"

"That's fine," she agreed with a nod.

"Thanks, I was one more C away from my dad pulling me off the team," he said gratefully.

"I should go inside. My dad's getting ready to leave," she said, gesturing to Charlie who was walking down the walkway.

Charlie waved as Jacob pulled out of the driveway before turning his attention to Bella.

"I thought that Jess was bringing you home."

"She had plans."

"What kind of plans?" he asked quirking an eyebrow in question.

"She went to First Beach with some of our friends."

"Did Newton go?"

"Yeah," she said with a shrug.

"Lets hope that he doesn't cause trouble like he did last time. I warned that kid to away from there," he said with a huff before getting into the cruiser.

"Be safe."

"Before I forget, Alice called for you about an hour ago. Said she tried your cell first."

"It's dead, I'll call her when I get in."

"Make sure to lock up before you go to bed."

"I always do, and I'll turn on the alarm."

"That's my girl," he praised before pulling out of the driveway.

Alice had been more than a little put off that Bella had chosen to go to a game the one night that she couldn't and probably wanted to grill her about what had or hadn't happen. The head cheerleader, Lauren had a habit of flirting with Jasper when Alice wasn't around. After assuring Alice that nothing had happened and that Jasper had opted out of going to the diner with the rest of the team Alice asked her if she'd had fun.

"It was okay. I was confused most of the time since I had no clue what was going on and Eric and Ben were no help."

"Did you go to the diner?"

"I did but everybody I was with either left early or went to a party on the beach."

"Who'd you get a ride with?"

"Jess picked me up but she wanted to go to that party so I found a ride home."

"With who?"

"Jacob."

"Jacob Turner? I didn't think you knew him well enough to let him give you a ride home."

"No, Alice, Jacob Black."

"Huh, interesting," she said with a click of her tongue.

"Not really. We're still getting to know each other all over again. I'll be tutoring him twice a week."

"I'll have to meet him if he's going to be friends with you," she said, dignified.

"Of course."

"Are you still teaching Sethie on Sundays?"

"I am, Jake will be here too."

"I'll come over," Alice announced.

"Just don't distract Seth like last time."

"He's my sweetheart."

They talked for a few more minutes before Bella's phone buzzed. It was Edward, texting her to tell her goodnight and that he would call her the next day when he woke up since he would be up half the night studying. She went to bed and never heard her phone buzz a second time when Billy left a voice mail thanking her for helping Jacob. Her sleep was peaceful for the first time since Edward left.


	3. Friends?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**AN: I started writing this last weekend and I ended up chucking the first few pages because I hated them. I am overly critical because I don't want to give you guys anything less than what you deserve. I finally sat down today and was able to crank this out. Hope you all enjoy it.**

Bella's house was silent, save for the scratching of pens across paper and pages being turned. Both Jacob and Seth had tests the next day so she had made them practice tests that they could work on while she did her homework.

Seth finished first and his mom was pulling up as she finished grading his test. He hadn't done badly, but there were places that needed work.

"Study some more. I mean it," Bella said.

"I'll make sure that he does," Sue promised.

Jacob worked on finishing his test while Bella got dinner started. This was how things usually went down when he stayed for dinner. If he had a question he would seek her out and she would explain it to him until he understood and could do it on his own.

Jacob finished, stuffing everything in his bag silently, if he needed to study more; he'd do it at home. He didn't want to take up any more of Bella's time. He came into the kitchen and placed his test on the table before grabbing a drink from the fridge.

Bella finished browning hamburger for spaghetti and added the tomato sauce then put the pot on simmer so she could look over his test. It took her less than two minutes before she was handing it back to him. That usually meant bad news and that he had tanked. He closed his eyes as he took the test from her, scared to look at the paper.

Bella went back to making dinner as Jacob continued to stand in the middle of the kitchen. She gave him an awkward glance over her shoulder as she dropped noodles into the boiling water. At least his eyes were open, but she doubted that he had looked at the paper. She turned to face him, folding her arms over her chest.

"Are you not happy with how I graded your paper I only took off points because you needed to elaborate on your answer for number five," she explained.

Jacob's eyes slowly drifted down to the paper, she had written a ninety-five in the upper right hand corner. He had seriously thought that he had failed, and he had been ready to accept it. He didn't remember writing half of what he had written down. Why couldn't this happen on his actual test?

"Thanks. I'll remember to explain more tomorrow."

"Okay," she said with a nod.

In the month that she had been tutoring him, their friendship had slowly matured. They no longer snapped at each other nor were they hostile towards one another. They were cordial at school, but neither would acknowledge each other in front of their friends other than say to say hi or wave. That was fine with Bella, she was just glad that the silent treatment/hostility was over.

XXXX

Jacob had noticed that Bella didn't eat with her friends on Monday's or Friday's. He didn't know why he cared, since it was none of his business. Seth was known for going missing occasionally on Monday's and Embry had told him it was because Bella tutored him in the library.

Jacob felt someone watching him and his eyes scanned the crowded room until he came to Bella's group of friends. Edward's sister, Alice was staring at him observantly. Why? He didn't even know her. Yes, he played football with Emmett, her older brother but he was the only person that he knew who knew her.

She finally broke eye contact with him and he shook off the uneasy feeling that the situation gave him. She talked to Jessica and Angela like the past thirty seconds hadn't happened. He saw Lauren out of the corner of his eye and inwardly groaned. She had been trying to get him to ask her out since last spring when he joined the football team.

He didn't have a problem with Lauren personally, even if she was a little pushy and overly superficial. She sat across from him, saying hi to Claire politely before smiling at Jacob. Embry and Quil had been giving him the hard sell about Lauren since the beginning of the year. Maybe she wasn't as bad as he thought.

Jacob tended not to listen to the gossip that surrounded people. And there were a lot of mean and vicious things to be said about Lauren. He didn't pass judgement on people just because they were difficult to be around.

"Hey, Lauren," he said politely.

"Hi, Jake," she said, her voice dripping with honey.

"What can I do for you?" he said with furrowed eyebrows.

"A group of my friends and I are going to the movies on Friday and I was wondering if you and your friends wanted to go."

"What movie?" Claire asked.

"We haven't decided yet, we might go see the new X-Men movie."

"Y'all wanna go?"

"Sure, Claire and I were going to go anyway," Quil said with a nod.

"I'll go," Embry agreed.

"Seth?" Jacob asked.

"I'm helping Leah and Sam move," Seth said with a shake of his head.

Jacob nodded to Lauren who smiled triumphantly. She left without saying another word. Jacob didn't know why she had invited them but he hoped that she didn't think that it was a date.

XXXX

The weekend rolled around and yet again Edward hadn't been able to come home. It was two months into the school year and he hadn't come home once. He claimed that he was up to his eyeballs in schoolwork every single weekend. 'His school work load must be harder than he's letting on.' Bella thought as she got ready to go out with Jessica and Angela.

She had been spending every weekend with them to keep from thinking about how much she missed Edward. They were going to the movies that night and Saturday they were going to Port Angeles to shop for homecoming dresses for Jessica and Angela.

Alice had been more persistent about meeting Jacob lately. Bella didn't have a problem with it; but she wondered what Alice's motives were. Edward had stopped asking about Jacob after Bella explained that she was mending her friendship with him and that she was tutoring him. Could Edward be behind the way Alice was acting? Bella hoped not.

Charlie called up the stairs that Angela and Jessica were there and Bella flipped off her bedroom light switch before walking out of the room. Jessica took in what Bella was wearing with a weary look. Bella wore a navy blue sweatshirt with Captain America's shield embossed across the center and her form hugging jeans were ripped in one knee. Jessica knew for a fact that the sweatshirt belonged to Edward because she had seen him wear it so many times. She was glad that she had been able to talk Bella into going with them.

"I'll be home late," Bella let her dad know.

"Be safe," Charlie called as the three of them walked out the door.

They drove to the movie theater in Jessica's car since Angela didn't have a car and Jessica hated Bella's truck. Their friends were waiting outside when they got there since not everyone had shown up. Bella saw Lauren talking to Tyler and Mike and she hoped that she didn't cause any trouble.

She saw Jacob and a few of his friends at the front of the line and waved with a polite smile when he noticed her. He waved back before turning his attention back to Quil who was waving his hands excitedly as he talked.

Everyone was inside fifteen minutes later. Jacob and his friends were directly in front of Bella and Jessica at the concession line and Lauren talked to Jacob until she looked over at Bella.

"Nice shirt, Swan," she said with a snicker.

"It's her boyfriend's. At least she has one," Angela said with an attitude.

Lauren scoffed before facing the front of the line. Bella bit her lip to keep from laughing as she reached her hand behind her back for Angela to give her a five. Embry chortled with a shake of his head. They moved up in line with no more trouble.

Once in the theater, Bella and Angela balked at the idea of sitting directly in front of Lauren, but Jessica had been kind enough to save them seats and Angela had Jessica's soda and candy so they didn't have a choice. The movie started and within minutes Bella felt someone kick the back of her seat, hard. Lauren apologized, claiming that it was an accident and Bella let it go. Ten minutes later Bella was taking a sip of her drink when it happened again and her straw ending up scraping across the roof of her mouth and she choked on her drink.

"Are you okay?" Jessica asked.

"She did that on purpose," Bella seethed once she regained her composure.

"Just ignore her," Angela whispered.

Halfway through the movie Bella's phone buzzed and she checked it to see a text from Edward, telling her goodnight. She texted him back quickly before putting her phone back in the pocket of her sweatshirt.

"You know, it's rude to check your phone during a movie," Lauren said in a bored tone.

"It's also rude to get into other people's business," Bella countered.

"Nice," Jessica said quietly, giving Bella a fist bump.

Lauren didn't bother her for the rest of the movie. At the diner after the movie Bella sat across from Embry and Jacob with Lauren on Jacob's other side. Things were fine at first and everyone was getting along. Embry was asking about Edward and why he had yet to come home and Bella gave her scripted answer of he was busy at school.

"Sure he is, that's what every person who is away from their boyfriend or girlfriend says. He's probably had like three girls on the side since he got there," Lauren said with an eye roll.

"That's not necessary," Bella said, her posture going rigid, ready to go on the defensive.

"I'm just saying that when you look as good as he does, those things happen," Lauren said with a fake smile.

"Okay, that's enough," Bella said as she moved to stand up.

"Jealous, much?" Jessica accused Lauren.

"You've been nothing but rude to her all night. What do you have against her? What did she ever do to you?" Jacob asked.

"Oh, I know exactly what it is. Jessica is right, she's jealous; everybody knows that Lauren's been hung up on Edward since he moved here last year," Bella confessed before walking away.

She didn't have to wait outside alone long. A tall shadow was cast over her shoulder and she looked over her shoulder to see Jacob a few feet away, with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket.

"What do you want Jacob?"

"I told Jessica that I'd take you home, come on," he said, jerking his head towards the Rabbit.

"You don't have to. I can call my dad, he's still up."

"I don't mind. I needed to get out of there anyway, too much drama," he said with a loud sigh.

"She's like that all the time," Bella mumbled.

"I've never seen her like that."

"That's because she had her sights on you. A girl never reveals her true self until she's got the guy. That's simple airhead logic," she informed him.

"I'm glad that you don't act like that. Your friends really lit into her after you walked out. I've never seen Angela so mad," he said with a light laugh.

"Lauren had it coming to her."

"I guess she did," he said with a nod.

"I don't even know why I let her get under my skin," she said with an exasperated sigh.

"Well, I personally won't be giving her the time of day again. No one talks to my friends like that," he stated.

He pulled up to her house a few minutes later. She undid her seatbelt before turning to him.

"Thank you letting me vent and for not thinking less of me for putting her in her place. It's been a year and she just won't let it go."

"No thanks needed. I happen to think it's nice that you wore Edward's shirt. I hope that I find a girl that will want to steal my clothes one day," he said with a chuckle.

"She's out there, somewhere."

She thanked him for the ride before getting out. Her dad was still up, watching the late news when she came in. She gave him a weary smile as she bid him goodnight. She was glad that the night was over and that she could move passed it.

XXXX

The weekend flew by and before Bella knew it, it was six a.m. on Monday. She was quiet as she got ready since Charlie was just going to bed after working the graveyard shift. Once she was at school she finally felt awake enough to face her day.

She was at her locker when Seth skidded to a stop next to her. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, quirking one side of her mouth in greeting.

"Whew! I didn't think I'd stop in time. They waxed the floor this weekend," he explained.

"How was your weekend?"

"Long. I swear, Leah is a tyrant; all she did was order me around and yell at me all weekend."

"I'm sorry, Buddy. I'll make you some brownies this afternoon to make up for it."

"Blondies with M&amp;M's?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure," she said as she shut her locker.

She saw Jacob coming down the hall by himself and he slowed to a stop on Seth's other side. Bella smiled in greeting and he smiled back. The breakthrough from Friday had finally broken the last bit of awkwardness surrounding them and she was looking forward to moving forward.

Alice was walking towards them with a determined look. She stopped a few feet away from Bella, clearing her throat to get Bella's attention.

"Hey, Alice," Bella said politely.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Esme wanted me to make sure that you and Charlie were still coming for dinner tomorrow night," she explained.

"We'll be there," Bella promised with a nod.

"Great! Bye cutie," she said, ruffling Seth's hair.

"Bye," Seth mumbled, shyly.

The bell rang and the four of them went their separate ways to head to class. Alice's choice to ignore Jacob hadn't gone unnoticed by Bella. They would need to talk to about that when she came over the next night.

XXXX

The lunch room was as crowded and noisy as usual that afternoon but not so noisy that Alice didn't hear Jessica fill Eric and Ben in on what had happened Friday night. She was glad that Bella had finally stuck up for herself.

"I hope that she doesn't think she is sitting with us," Angela said, motioning with her eyes to Lauren who was making her way towards them.

"Quick, put something on every free seat," Jessica said as she shoved her purse onto the seat next to her.

Everyone followed her lead and Lauren gave her a frosty look before sitting a few tables away.

"I'm glad that Jacob saw her for who she was before she sunk her talons into him," Tyler said.

"Jacob was there?" Alice asked.

"Lauren invited him and some of his friends," Mike said with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm glad that he took Bella's side and was nice enough to take her home," Jessica said with a nod.

"Jacob stood up for Bella?" Alice questioned.

"Yes, he did; like any friend would have," Angela informed her.

Alice pursed her lips as she let the information sink in. Not only had Jacob stood up for Bella but he had swooped in and saved the day by taking her home. She thought that he had ulterior motives and had become friends with Bella so that he could steal her from Edward. Maybe she had him all wrong.


	4. A Wonderful Surprise

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. No, I do not.**

**AN: The part of this chapter that is in italics represents a flashback. Just wanted to explain before you all come across that and get confused.**

For the second year in a row, Bella had ben roped into going to the homecoming game. Last year, she had worn Edward and Alice's brother, Emmett's jersey, much to the dismay of his girlfriend who was cheer captain at the time. This year, though, she wore the school colors and had Jacob's number on one cheek with 'Go Trojans' written on the other at Alice and Jessica's insistence.

She sat with Angela and Ben like usual but Seth, who usually sat on the ground level with the other Quileute's had surprised them by following them up the stairs to sit in between Bella and Ben. The two of them had become friends in the first half of the game, sharing a common interest of being Mathletes.

Bella was just glad that spirit week was finally over and that things would go back to normal. She had gone dress shopping with Jessica and Angela but wasn't of much help. She was over hearing about all of the plans that her friends were making for the dance and who was wearing what. Jessica suggested that she should find a guy friend to go with since this would their last homecoming.

She had politely declined but had offered to come in on Sunday to help Jessica take down her posters asking people to vote for her for homecoming queen. She was up against Lauren for the second year in a row and she hoped to win this year. It didn't come as a surprise to Bella that Jacob had been nominated, he was obviously popular with the ladies and since he played football, he had the majority of the guys votes as well.

Angela enlisted Bella's help when it came time for the homecoming parade.

"Just make sure to have a fresh roll ready whenever I need it. As soon as I hand a used one to you, it's gonna need to go into a canister. I'm repeating myself, I'm sorry," she said sheepishly.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure not to touch the exposure's. That'll ruin the photo, right?"

"Right," Angela agreed, pointing at her.

Bella watched from the sidelines as the floats were driven onto the field by grade starting with the Seniors. Jessica and Mike held hands, while Lauren stood by herself at the front, waving like she was the Queen of England, she was the only reigning queen on the ballot this year. Jasper sat on the edge of the truck bed, his eyes on Alice who was cheering her heart out for him. By the time the Sophomore's came out Angela had gone through five rolls of film and only had three more left. Jacob sat next to Claire, his arm wrapped around her shoulders to ward off the chill. Mike's younger sister, Anna was talking to Embry as the truck pulled up behind the Juniors. Angela held out a used roll and Bella handed her a fresh one.

"You only have two left," she informed Angela over the noise.

"Text Ben and ask him to bring more, I have some in my camera bag."

Bella tapped out a quick message to and then continued watching as the homecoming court made their way to the center of the field. Jasper and Jessica were named Senior King and Queen. By the time the principal got to the Sophomore's, Bella handed Angela the last roll and Ben came jogging down the field. Angela smiled her thanks before kissing his cheek quickly. Anna and Jacob won for the Sophomore's and Bella and Angela cheered for them.

Ten minutes later the field was cleared and the game resumed. Bella decided to leave and spend the rest of the night talking to Edward. They had made the decision to spend as much time as possible on the phone tonight since he was working tomorrow night. She would love for him to come home for the weekend so that they could go to the dance together, but she understood why he couldn't.

She called him as soon as she got home, flopping down on her bed as she waited for him to pick up.

"Babe?" His familiar voice asked.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Did the game get rained out? I didn't think it would be over so soon."

"No, I left after half time. I'll hear all about it from your sister and Jake later."

"Jake was at the game?"

"He plays varsity, he and his friend Quil are the only Sophomore's on the team."

"That's cool. Alice already texted me to tell me that Jazz got crowned king."

"Yep. Jake was crowned for his grade too."

"I'm going to have to meet this guy. I feel like he's taking my place. Should I be worried?" he teased.

"No one comes close to you, you know that. He's just a friend."

"I know; I was just pulling your leg. So, he's good looking enough to be crowned homecoming king?"

"If you like that type," she said indifferently.

"What type would that be?"

"Tall, dark hair and eyes. He kind of looks like Prince Charming from Cinderella or Aladdin."

"So, he's exotic looking?"

"He's Native American. That's not exotic for these parts."

"He's a good guy?"

"He is; I'm still getting to know him for the person he is now."

"So, he's the tall, dark and handsome/knight in shining armor type? Yeah, I'm not worried about him putting the moves on you at all," he said dryly.

"Hey, what's with the attitude? We're just friends, we don't even hang out all that much now that I am not tutoring him anymore. I only see him once maybe twice a week outside of school nowadays," she reassured him.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. The last time he was here, Alice had come over and I hardly said two words to him since I was helping her with homecoming posters."

"So, you're definitely not going tomorrow? Not even with a group of friends?"

"I don't want to go without you," she stated in a quiet tone.

"I hate that I can't be there," he said with a sigh.

"It's fine, really. But if you make me miss my Senior Prom I will never speak to you again," she threatened.

"Just tell me the day and I'll mark it off that weekend," he promised.

"You'd better."

"I love you, Isabella Swan," he said reverently.

"I love you too," she said with a smile that he could hear in her voice.

They talked well into the early morning hours until Charlie came home from work. He told her that she had been on the phone long enough and that it was time to tell Edward goodnight. She did as he asked and wished for the tenth time that week that Edward was there.

XXXX

Bella started her Saturday by waking up late. She didn't have anywhere that she needed to be and all of her friends were busy. Even Seth was going to the dance. She didn't mind being alone; she had laundry to catch up on and she wanted to read Wuthering Heights for the tenth time.

The last load of laundry was in the dryer and she was halfway through Heathcliff and Katherine's sordid love affair when someone knocked on the door. She set the book down wondering who could be at the door. She opened it, not prepared for who was on the other side. Her eyes widened in surprise as her heart lept into her throat. Edward was leaning against the railing with a garment bag over his shoulder. Alice was coming up the walkway with two garment bags and Jasper brought up the rear, carrying his own bag and Alice's makeup case.

"I'll be in your room. Do you think Charlie will mind if they got ready in his room?" Alice questioned.

"Just go, Ali," Edward said, rolling his eyes at his sister.

Alice and Jasper brushed past her and up the stairs without another word. Bella turned her attention back to Edward, leaping into his arms with an excited squeak.

"God, I have missed you so much," he said into her hair.

"The feelings mutual," she murmured into his neck.

He pulled back to take a look at her. Her cheeks flushed when she realized that she must look like. She was wearing a ratty, holey t-shirt and flannel pajama pants with her hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun; but at least it was clean. He pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear before leaning in.

After three months of not being able to kiss him, Bella was going to draw this one out for as long as she could. His lips were pliant over hers, molding to the shape of hers like it was second nature. He always knew how to bring a response out of her.

Edward's arms tightened around her middle as he carried over the threshold. He pulled away with a wry smile.

"So you missed me that bad, huh?" he asked, his voice ragged.

"I'd show you just how much I missed you if we had some time alone," she said regretfully.

"You're in luck, Alice talked Charlie into letting you stay at my house tonight."

"Does he know that you'll be there?"

"Yes, but he is willing to turn a blind eye since Carlisle and Esme will be there."

"Then our alone time is put on hold for the time being. Alice is going to come back down if I'm not up there soon."

"I'll hold you to that," he said, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before setting her down.

In her room, Alice had set the dresses on the bed and was going through the case. Her make up case was the size of one of Charlie's large tackle boxes and held a blow dryer, a straightener, and more makeup and hair care products than one person should own.

"How long have you known that he was coming home?"

"I didn't. He was there when I got home last night. If I had known, you would be wearing a new gown and not mine from last year."

"The blue one with the ruffles on the hem?"

"That would be the one. It's nice having him here, isn't it? It's a shame that he has to go back in the morning," she said sadly.

Bella nodded in agreement, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. She appreciated that Edward cared enough to come and see her but she wished that they had more time together.

XXXX

Charlie came home as they were getting ready and he hadn't minded that Edward and Jasper were getting ready in his room. Billy's voice could be heard filtering up the stairs, letting Bella in on Charlie's plans for the night. Edward and Jasper went down to watch the game while Alice finished Bella's makeup.

Alice went down first, talking and laughing with Charlie and Billy while Bella navigated the stairs with caution. Why had Alice insisted that she wear these God awful torture devices that someone had passed off as shoes? They had four-inch spike heels! She stumbled at the bottom of the stairs but Edward caught her with ease.

"Well, don't you look as pretty as a picture," Billy said as he took her in.

"Thanks," she mumbled, embarrassed.

"Your mom wants a few pictures," Charlie explained.

Bella followed Edward outside, being mindful of where she stepped. Charlie took half a dozen pictures of the small group before letting them go. The two couples rode separately, since they had different dinner reservations.

Edward pulled up to the nicest restaurant in all of Port Angeles. He gave the keys to the valet like it wasn't a big deal, like it was a regular occurrence to go to a place that required a valet. He tucked her arm into the crook of his before walking into the restaurant. It was way too fancy for Bella's taste and she had never known Edward to be so extravagant.

A hostess seated them immediately when Edward mentioned that they had reservation. They were both silent as they perused the menu. They were charging twenty-five dollars for a bowl of butternut squash ravioli, which was something that Bella could make for half that price.

"Order whatever you want, Love," Edward said, not looking up from his menu.

"Are you sure? This place is really expensive," she said, apprehensively.

"I wanted to do something nice for my girl. I don't get to spoil you all that often nowadays. Really, order whatever you want."

Their waitress came and took their drink and food orders before leaving as quickly as she had come. They continued to talk until their food came almost half an hour later.

"I've been thinking, maybe we should take a year off from school and travel. That way, if we don't get into schools close to each other, one of us could reapply," Edward suggested.

"Um, I've already applied for financial aid and my dad is taking out a loan to help me pay for college. I can't do that," she said with a nervous laugh.

"Have you heard back from any of your schools yet?"

"I heard back from UDub last week, I've been wait listed," she said quietly.

"That was one of your fall back schools, right?"

"Mmhmm, I should be hearing back from Berkley soon. Have you heard back from Stanford or Cal Tech?"

"Not yet. Taking a year off was just a thought. Who knows, maybe we will end up going to school close together after all."

The conversation was changed and Bella was grateful for it. She didn't want to worry about what would happen for the next four years until she absolutely had to. She had spent too many sleepless nights worrying about what would happen if they were separated for college already. Why did he have to bring it up?

XXXX

Bella took in the decorated gym while Edward got them something to drink. So far, no one had noticed her; but they had only been there a few minutes. Edward came back with Angela on one side and Jessica on the other, with Jessica chattering away. He nodded and said a few words in reply as they walked the last few feet to Bella. He handed her her drink as Jessica invited them to sit at their table.

"It's alright with me if it's alright with Bella," Edward conceded.

"Sure," Bella said with a nod.

"Great! We're spread across three table and the guys need help pushing them together," Jessica informed them.

Bella stayed close to Edward, his hand on her lower back to guide her through the crowd so that they didn't get separated. Bella knew that Edward wasn't a fan of big crowds so she was surprised that he was willing to spend time with the large group of people who loomed on the other side of the gym. Mike, Tyler, Ben and Eric were moving chairs away from the tables so that they could be moved when ready.

There were even some of the La Push kids at the end of the tables. Bella saw Jacob talking to a girl who vaguely looked like Claire. He hadn't noticed her so she continued her scan of the group. Seth and Embry were moving chairs against the wall at the opposite end from Mike and the others.

Edward walked towards the Quileute end since it was obvious that they needed help. Embry nodded his thanks while Seth launched into a conversation with Edward.

"It's great to finally meet you. Bella talks about you all the time," Seth informed him.

"It's nice to meet you too. She talks about you as well," Edward said with a shy smile.

Seth introduced Edward to Embry and Jared who had shown up around the same time as Edward and Bella. Bella stood off to the side, out of the guys' way, talking to Jessica and Angela.

"I think it's nice that he surprised you," Angela said.

"Yeah, he was the last person I expected to see on my doorstep this afternoon. It was a great surprise."

"How long is he here for?" Jessica questioned.

"He leaves tomorrow."

"That's not very long," Angela said in concern.

"I'm staying at his house tonight, so we'll see each other until the second he has to leave."

"At least he's here. It goes to show that he's willing to make things work," Jessica observed.

Bella noticed Jacob standing a few feet away and she smiled in greeting. He waved and returned her smile and Angela noticed their interaction. She pulled Jessica away, claiming that she needed to touch up her makeup, not giving Jessica a chance to argue.

Jacob came to stand in front of her as she nervously pushed her hair behind her ear. What Edward has said about him the night before had gotten her to thinking. Yes, Jacob was gorgeous; Bella would have to be blind to not notice that. But was Edward's blind observation founded? Bella saw Jacob as a friend, and a friend only. When they were younger he had been her best friend and confidant. Edward now held that place. If things hadn't gone south between them, would they be dating now? Bella couldn't even imagine it.

"Fancy see you here," he said with a smile.

"Yeah, right? I didn't know I was coming until a few hours ago. Congrats by the way."

"Yeah, it's so horrible being well liked," he said with an exaggerated eye roll.

Bella shook her head, not able to hold back a teasing smile. Edward came into her field of vision behind Jacob and she waved him over. He came to stand at her side, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Edward, this is Jacob. Jake, this is Edward."

"Hi," Edward said with a polite nod.

"How you doin'?" Jacob asked with a nod of his own.

"You and Bella became friends again the same way she and I did. I was her Math tutor last year," Edward informed him.

"She never mentioned that."

"I don't think that it's a secret that I am terrible at math, Jake," she said with a small laugh.

He chuckled, before agreeing with her. She was always texting Seth and Embry whenever she needed help in math.

"I'll leave you two alone since your time together is limited. Enjoy your night," Jacob said before turning to leave.

"Jake?" Bella asked before he could walk away.

He looked over his shoulder at her, awaiting her response.

"Thank you," she said with a kind smile.

He nodded with a smile of his own. How had she known that he'd asked his friends to be nice to Edward? He had been discreet about it, going to Embry as soon as he had seen Bella come in. He hadn't needed to worry about Embry, Quil or Seth because they were kind by nature. No, he'd had to warn Jared, Paul, Brady, and Collin.

"_Why should we be nice to him?" Paul questioned._

"_Because it would mean a lot to Bella. You don't want to ruin the only night that she has with _

_him, do you?" Jacob countered._

"_He has a point, Paul. I'll be nice, only because it's her," Jared agreed._

Brady and Collin had nodded in agreement, but Paul had stood his ground. He didn't even associate with Bella, unlike Jacob and the others. She need nice enough, just too timid for his taste. Why was this girl so special? Yes, she was pretty and a nice person in general, but Paul came in contact with people like that every day.

Bella and Edward were on the dance floor when the DJ announced that it was time to switch partners. Bella inwardly groaned at the tradition that she'd had to endure since a Freshman. The principal and teachers of Forks High thought that it was fun to mix things up so they made you switch dance partners with the couple closest to you at random. Edward searched the small cluster of people around them and his brows furrowed in concern when Bella heard someone behind her.

She looked over her shoulder, craning her neck slightly to look into Jacob's eyes. His date, who turned out to be Claire's cousin Melissa, from the Makah tribe not far from Forks stood just behind him.

"Go ahead," she encouraged Edward.

"I know how much you hate this," he reasoned.

"It'll be fine since it's Jake," she promised.

"Alright," he agreed, letting go of her.

Jacob placed a hand on her waist while taking her other hand in his. Bella kept a little distance between them by placing her free hand on his shoulder.

"How did you get a dress on short notice?" he asked.

"Oh, it's Alice's. She was nice enough to let me borrow it."

"You look nice, not entirely you; but nice."

"What do you mean?" she asked in confusion, her defenses threatening to go up.

"Your make up is a little over done and I can bet that the shoes you're wearing are Alice's too. You like to keep things simple and draw as little attention to yourself as possible."

His ascertain of her had hit the mark. She hadn't changed much since they were kids. He had never cared that she could be introverted at times, he had enough charm and charisma for the both of them. She smiled reverently as a way of saying thank you for understanding her so well. Very few people knew her the way that Jacob did. She could count them on one hand, and her mother wasn't even one of them. How had he known exactly what to say to ease her fears? It was a gift that only he had. Not even Edward could dismantle the emotional bombs that life threw at her as well as Jacob could.

**AN2: I'm debating on if I should continue the night in the next chapter so that you guys can have some more Bella/Edward time. Would you be receptive to some lemon, or no? Let me know.**


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